​Goodyear Wrangler All-Terrain Adventure Review

We’ve not been particularly kind to original equipment (OE) Goodyear SUV tires in recent years.

We went two rounds with the Fortera HL on our Jeep Grand Cherokees and were left underwhelmed on both occasions. We found the Fortera HL to be quiet, comfortable, and good overall on the road, but very limited off-road and through winter. Subpar in the treadlife/mileage department as well.

And so we were ready and willing to depart from that particular OE Goodyear with the acquisition of our 2017 Jeep Grand Cherokee Trailhawk. The Trailhawk is fitted with the Goodyear Wrangler All-Terrain Adventure with Kevlar.

Unlike some other OE Goodyear truck/SUV tires, the Wrangler All-Terrain Adventure is represented as a legitimate off-road performer. According to Goodyear, the Wrangler All-Terrain Adventure is:

“Our best tire for versatility on- and off-road, featuring DuPont™ Kevlar® for rugged strength — plus superior traction through rain and snow. For both everyday highway driving and going off-road at a moment's notice.”

​With the claimed versatility, the Wrangler All-Terrain Adventure has the makings of a standout OE tire (a rarity). Does it deliver?

Goodyear Wrangler All-Terrain Adventure: On-road

We spend the vast majority of our drive time on-road being psychologically poisoned by Howard Stern, so comfort and tire noise are priorities. We took the Trailhawk for an extended test drive before signing on the dotted line specifically for this reason -- we wanted to make sure that the Wrangler All-Terrain Adventure doesn’t compromise the Grand Cherokee’s quiet cabin environment.

It doesn’t. Jumping out of our former Grand Cherokee equipped with Continental TerrainContact A/T tires (we'd had enough and abandoned ship on our last set of Fortera HL) and into the Trailhawk we perceived little to no difference in acoustic qualities.

It’s probable that at road level both the Goodyear and Continental all-terrain tires make a bit more noise than the street-oriented Fortera HL, but inside the insulated cabin it’s a non-factor. Even over sections of pavement that bring the worst out of surface sensitive tires, the Wrangler All-Terrain Adventure remains quiet.

It wasn't all positives switching from the OE Goodyear Fortera HL to the TerrainContact A/T. We paid for that increased off-road, all-terrain capability with a measurable drop in mpg; about 1.5 mpg overall.

The Wrangler All-Terrain Adventure equipped Trailhawk achieves the same mpg rating from Jeep as the other 4x4 Grand Cherokee models – 18 city/25 highway with the V6. These mpg figures are just estimates per Jeep, but they apparently didn’t see fit to reduce the Trailhawk’s mpg rating relative to the Laredo (Fortera HL) and Limited (with the excellent Michelin Premier LTX as OE for model year ‘17).

The Wrangler All-Terrain Adventure’s tread depth of 12/32” equals the depth of the Continental all-terrain. However, the Wrangler All-Terrain Adventure isn't quite as "tread block chunky" in certain areas, and early indications are that we’re much closer to the OE Goodyear mpg reference points than when we ran the TerrainContact A/T. With the Wrangler All-Terrain Adventure 23-25 mpg is achievable at a sustained 60 mph cruise, and 21-23 mpg on the highway; typical real world mpg scores for the Grand Cherokee.

An mpg penalty is generally to be expected with all-terrain tires, but so far the Wrangler All-Terrain Adventure seems to be an exception to the rule.

​Wrangler All-Terrain Adventure handling characteristics are satisfactory. At public road speeds, around winding highway ramps, and through country road sweepers the Wrangler All-Terrain Adventure does just fine. Rain/wet road traction is plenty good as well.

The Wrangler All-Terrain Adventure isn’t as responsive, and doesn’t handle quite as sharply as some street-oriented SUV/truck options, but that’s to be expected given the deeper tread and all-terrain characteristic.

Treadlife and mileage are tbd, but the Wrangler All-Terrain Adventure gets a 640 treadwear grade as compared to 540 for the Fortera HL. We're hoping that translates to superior real world mileage.

Right, so cutting to the chase: The Wrangler All-Terrain Adventure and Trailhawk is a ridiculously competent off-road combo.

Just a few minutes into our off-road test it became clear we were working with a Jeep that's capable of recreational off-road activity; well beyond just "get you where you need to go" off-road function.

​That realization first hit when we managed to forge through this underestimated mud bog. Midway through when the floating sensation struck we thought we'd done it with our new Trailhawk.

But thankfully, the Wrangler All-Terrain Adventure helped maintain forward momentum and clawed us out. (Would have been an utterly miserable vehicle exit into that water on a thirty degree morning.)

The Wrangler All-Terrain Adventure impressed in all other off-road terrain as well. Loose sand, hard packed dirt and whatever you'd call this mixed grass and stump hilly terrain, which had to be conquered for a photo op. (With radiator still steaming from that bog.)

​Our last Jeep fitted with all-terrain tires was of the functional variety. The Wrangler All-Terrain Adventure + Trailhawk is on a completely different level. For the first time ever with a Grand Cherokee we're thinking off-road park when the winter weather subsides. And we're confident that the Wrangler All-Terrain Adventure is up for the challenge. (Update: Confirmed. Up for off-road park hooliganism.) No more mud bogs though…

We're not the only ones to find the Wrangler All-Terrain Adventure seriously capable off-road. The tire placed first overall out of seven all-terrain options in a South African Drive Out magazine test, beating the likes of the BF Goodrich All-Terrain T/A KO2, Hankook Dynapro AT-m, and others. The Wrangler All-Terrain Adventure recorded the shortest braking distances on pavement and on dirt. It also excelled in a "climb test," and came second to the BFG in a sidewall penetration test. (Kevlar is the real deal.)

Goodyear Wrangler All-Terrain Adventure: Snow & Winter Performance

We acquired the Trailhawk in late March, so a comprehensive test of Wrangler All-Terrain Adventure snow performance will have to wait until next winter. We’ll aim to get it done prior to our winter tire swap. (Side note: Bet the Trailhawk with winter tires will be > any snowpocalypse.)

However, we were treated to a late winter storm that dropped a few inches of heavy wet snow and sleet.

How’d the Wrangler All-Terrain Adventure do in these conditions? Pretty good overall. In combination with the big Jeep, the Wrangler All-Terrain Adventure shrugged off and bludgeoned those magnetized areas of accumulation, and kept tracking straight.In this initial evaluation we perceived solid longitudinal traction; dependable grip under acceleration and braking. Straight ahead, strong all-terrain traction characteristics.

Negatives? We’ll reserve final judgment for next winter season, but didn’t come away with great impressions of cornering traction. The grip level seemed to fall off quite immediately and substantially with steering input.

As compared to other Goodyear OE SUV tires and OE truck/SUV tires in general, preliminary indications are that the Wrangler All-Terrain Adventure offers superior winter capability. Even if cornering traction is indeed a compromise, the strong straight ahead traction characteristics are more than can be claimed by most OE tires. Without question, in the described winter conditions the Wrangler All-Terrain Adventure gets going and stops better than our former OE Goodyear Jeep tires.

The Winter Traction rating is a 4.5/5 according to Goodyear.com user reviews. TireBuyer.com user feedback is unanimously positive so far.

We were due for an above average OE tire and believe we definitely have one with the Wrangler All-Terrain Adventure. It’s a perfect complement to the Trailhawk, which delivers mega upgraded off-road performance without compromise on-road.

The Grand Cherokee Trailhawk is already our favorite Jeep of all-time. The Wrangler All-Terrain Adventure positively contributes to the awesome Trailhawk experience, and is a perfect match with the Trailhawk ethos.

The Wrangler All-Terrain Adventure is just aggressive enough to be a cut above the majority of OE SUV/truck tires off-road, but there is little to no penalty to pay for that off-road capability on the daily commute.

In Trailhawk size 265/60-18 the Wrangler All-Terrain Adventure is quite substantially more costly than just about everything short of the BF Goodrich All-Terrain T/A KO2. $300+ more per set than the Falken Wildpeak A/T3W, $200+ more than both the Nitto Terra Grappler G2 and aforementioned Continental.

Worth the premium? Our take is that the Wrangler All-Terrain Adventure lives up to its billing as a truly versatile on- and off-road tire. That performance duality is hard to come by. At the least, it’s a justifiable price point, and we suspect more than a few long-term Trailhawk owners will stick with the Wrangler All-Terrain Adventure when set one reaches minimum tread.